r scout and I hope in this way to win the confidence of
Sab Than, the prince, who is commander of this division of the navy,
and thus learn the whereabouts of Dejah Thoris. I am glad that you are
here, John Carter, for I know your loyalty to my princess and two of us
working together should be able to accomplish much."

The plaza was now commencing to fill with people going and coming upon
the daily activities of their duties. The shops were opening and the
cafes filling with early morning patrons. Kantos Kan led me to one of
these gorgeous eating places where we were served entirely by
mechanical apparatus. No hand touched the food from the time it
entered the building in its raw state until it emerged hot and
delicious upon the tables before the guests, in response to the
touching of tiny buttons to indicate their desires.

After our meal, Kantos Kan took me with him to the headquarters of the
air-scout squadron and introducing me to his superior asked that I be
enrolled as a member of the corps. In accordance with custom an
examination was necessary, but Kantos Kan had told me to have no fear
on this score as he would attend to that part of the matter. He
accomplished this by taking my order for examination to the examining
officer and representing himself as John Carter.

"This ruse will be discovered later," he cheerfully explained, "when
they check up my weights, measurements, and other personal
identification data, but it will be several months before this is done
and our mission should be accomplished or have failed long before that
time."

The next few days were spent by Kantos Kan in teaching me the
intricacies of flying and of repairing the dainty little contrivances
which the Martians use for this purpose. The body of the one-man air
craft is about sixteen feet long, two feet wide and three inches thick,
tapering to a point at each end. The driver sits on top of this plane
upon a seat constructed over the small, noiseless radium engine which
propels it. The medium of buoyancy is contained within the thin metal
walls of the body and consists of the eighth Barsoomian ray, or ray of
propulsion, as it may be termed in view of its properties.

This ray, like the ninth ray, is unknown on Earth, but the Martians
have discovered that it is an inherent property of all light no matter
from what source it emanates. They have learned that it is the solar
eighth ray which propels the light of the sun to th